We are worried about our dog being lonely and are seriously considering getting him a friend. He’s very sociable and loves people and other dogs, and when we’re away he stays with a lady who has 2 of her own, and up to 2 of other people’s dogs at any one time and he loves it there.
We almost don’t like taking him back to be at home as an only dog.
Is this a good idea or are dogs fine on their own? Our dog is a 1 year old Parson Russell.

I think that all too often it's the owners who feel guilty about leaving a dog alone at home, not the single dog needing a companion necessarily.   Most would be quite content with getting all the attention.... and I know for a fact that you have to be careful re male terriers, having lived with people who bred Jackies (not the Parson).  He lived with his own bitches but wouldn't not welcome another male under 'his' roof. 

Having said that, there's little doubt that hounds of a pack breed (ie Bassets, Beagles etc) prefer to have company, canine or actually feline.  With Bassets, one/two is NEVER enough

There are no guarantees that the first dog will welcome a second dog.   Loving being with other dogs outside 'his' home may be fine, but quite another matter when the second dog is, again, in his home!

Best I can say is don't get another dog so you don't feel guilty at leaving your dog alone at home

some actually prefer being only dogs especially if they have good interaction with their family and of course one dog means attention is about them .others thrive better if they have another dog to live with.  My fcr has always been with other dogs as we had two others when we got her and of course came straight from a litter .she loves people and the dogs at home .not so good with  dogs she doesn't know.when we recently lost our gsd leaving her any alone for the first time i was concerned how she would cope however  she has blossomed even though she was never a subdued dog . Personally i would wait a year or two and concentrate on doing things with your current dog. He is still very young and will be very playful  developing your relationship with him would be invaluable to me rather than another dog

It depends entirely on the dog.  Some of mine would not like being singletons, a couple of others would be better that way (but aren't rehomeable).

Some may love other dogs but can be too much for them, too - I walk a little JRT X chi who LOVES other dogs but is absolutely best off living as an only one, because he is far too pushy and annoying.  I had him here for a few weeks and it is just incessant.  A friend met him while he was here and she said the same - clearly loves them but absolutely, best kept alone.

By contrast though, I also fostered a dog a few years ago who absolutely should not be an only dog, and it was a stipulation of his adoption that he must live with at least one other.

And it may be more specific than that - my boy now likes being with others, and he'll play with them, but what he really wants is another male (preferably big and fluffy) to adore.  He was head over heels in love with that foster dog!

Perhaps fostering would be a good idea for you?  Quite a few rescues offer a 'foster with a view to adopt' system now, so you can take a dog on without fully committing to keeping them, and see how it goes with your JRT before anything becomes permanent.

I got my then 1yo dog a puppy, in the shape of his full brother from a subsequent litter of the same parents.

Part of our reasoning was that we had always planned to add a second dog. Part was that our first dog had been an absolutely wonderful fit for our (weird) family and a chance to have another from the same cross again was very attractive. And part because our eldest LOVES other dogs and playing with other dogs and we felt bad on the rare occasions we would go out and leave him that he was mooching but also whenever we left his canine friends. He likes humans and is an obedient and loving soul, but he's just more of a dogs dog.

Some things to consider - we have a large breed so we had 2 dogs, born 12.5months apart, in puberty simultaneously. And the eldest in his worst frantic nearly-grown testosterone haze was showing the youngest in his first flush of testosterone some really appalling habits, to the point that we ended up getting a 6 month suprelorin implant for him. That has worn off, just in time for the youngest to hit the nearly-grown ridiculousness! So consider ages and stages if you can.

You will have a whole new dog to train and at 1 your older dog won't be in much of a position to help like they can at 3 or 4 when their own training is set nicely. They are still patchy and silly themselves at that young age and are as likely to teach bad habits as good. The only thing my eldest has taught my youngest is to open doors! So you need to be able to commit to housetraining and puppy classes and all that all over again and while the pup is out with you doing that your eldest dog will still be on his own.

Vet and insurance costs stack up with 2. Boosters alone are quite costly, even the flea/tick/worm regime can cause a sharp intake of breath!

In your mind you will be walking 2 lovely happy dogs. In reality you will have to walk separately at least sometimes, to work on lead manners, to help the younger dog have confidence and to be sure you can manage both and be in full control. On the odd occasions mine have decided to pack up and, for example, bark at another dog, it is almost impossible to do anything about it except leave, dragging them with me, as they turn deaf to human voices and egg one another on!

My dogs love having one another but they are STILL both obsessed with other dogs. And the youngest still spends half his time gazing forlornly out of a window looking for another dog to bark at. They both love new exciting dogs. Having each other didn't much help!

Personally I was mostly aware going in that a second dog so soon would be hard work, and it is. My eldest was 2 in March and my younger was 1 in April. My work will be cut out for me for at least another year. Having the specific second dog is worth it all for me and for my family. But it's work, so have a good think.

Thanks everyone for all your comments, that’s really helpful. I think we maybe just need to work on leaving him. He’s never alone for more than 4 hours, but he shakes and will hide at the bottom of the garden if he thinks we’re going out. I would love another one, but maybe we should wait until he’s 3 or 4.

I think fostering is a great idea, even without the view of adoption - your dog will have a playmate for a time, and the other dog will have a loving home instead of a kennel for a time, until they are adopted to forever family...

As a breeder and owner of up to 6 dogs at a time, I always advise at least a two year age gap, preferably three. I have had between 15 months and 4 year gaps with mine and the shorter gaps are a lot more work.

You also need to consider ultimately what you want your canine household to consist of re numbers.

Say like many your ideal is to have two, think about spacing them out at about half way in lifespan so about 6+ years, that way you have a continuing cycle of pup and full adult, adult and oldie and back to pup adult.

This could be achieved with your boy by getting an older sociable companion for him of 7+, ideally a bitch.

Couldn't agree with Brainless more.

My youngest has just turned 2, my next are 5.5 & eldest is 12..I don't plan to add for another 18 months/2 years.

My dog doesn't like us going out, but it does mean she gets a treat. Something high value like a fish twist or a dental chew.
I sometimes think it's good for them to have some time alone, so they can switch off and have a rest.

With regards to being a lone dog, at some point a dog is going to be alone because it's the last dog you're going to have and it's unlikely to die on the same day as it's friend. My dog is our only one and she loves going to the dog sitter on holiday to have doggie friends, but she is also glad to get back to normality. They don't necessarily need a canine friend when they're a member of your pack.

> I think we maybe just need to work on leaving him. He’s never alone for more than 4 hours, but he shakes and will hide at the bottom of the garden if he thinks we’re going out. I would love another one, but maybe we should wait until he’s 3 or 4.

Ok, that is a whole other thing and getting another dog in all likelihood will not help it.  Separation anxiety, as this sounds like, is in most cases caused by separation from their human which remains unchanged regardless of canine company - I had it in 5 of 8 dogs here at one point.

The best thing I can suggest for that is to get yourself a copy of 'Treating Separation Anxiety' by Marlena DeMartini-Price.  It's thorough and very well written, and will help you start to get on top of this.